Peter Osnos On Sam Zell's Dismantling Of The Tribune

Journalistic integrity is something that is incredibly important to our society. You might remember a story I linked to a few years ago about CNBC's lack of journalistic rigor as discussed by Columbia Journalism Review. Just a few years later CNBC was back to the same old paparazzi pumping that got them into trouble with viewers following the 2000 stock market collapse. The major problem is CNBC's management and the conflicts of interest that are associated with its ownership by GE. Additionally, CNBC doesn't hire critical thinkers or journalists with the intellectual inquisitiveness to represent the quality of financial journalism the nation deserves. Instead, during the potentially greatest crisis in America's history, we see CNBC running a lead series about Wall Street's obsession with prostitution. That's just really brilliant.

Peter Osnos is vice-chairman of the Columbia Journalism Review.(Home page) Tuesday he wrote a scathing editorial about Sam Zell's dismantling of the iconic Tribune. At some point in time, this country needs to demand serious journalism again. Part of that should be freedom from ownership that represents such glaring conflicts of interest and a return to investigative journalism. I realize making money isn't a dirty word but media should first be conscious of their constitutional duty to inform the American people or they should lose that privilege.